Time Enough for Drums

Rating:
Summary: Good But Not the Best
Review: In "Time Enough for Drums," Ann Rinaldi introduces Jemima (Jem) Emerson, a strong-willed, fiery sixteen-year-old during the time of the American Revolution. Her parents are Patriots, but her tutor, the incomprehensible John Reid, is supposed to be a Tory, and for that, she strongly dislikes him. But when she finds out that he is really a spy for the Americans, she begins to understand him. Before she knows it, she finds herself falling in love with him.

I guess you could say that I enjoyed this book, though it was lacking action and I didn't really like Jem's character. She was exceedingly rude to Mr. Reid in the beginning just because he was a Tory, and for a while, she never seems to learn from her mistakes. As the book progresses, however, she becomes better. I was kind of confused as to her short-lived feelings for Raymond Moore, but Ann Rinaldi did do a good job in fixing that with an explaination later on. Ann Rinaldi is a good writer, but I don't always like her characters and frequently find myself disappointed with her story lines. Some of the truths she conveys in her books, such as doing the right thing isn't always going to make you feel good, I strongly agree with.

Rating:
Summary: Time Enough for Drums
Review: I admit when I picked up this book, I thought it was just going to be an annoying history book that I had to suffer through for another dumb year of summer reading. Boy, was I wrong. I planned on reading just 34 pages a day of this book, that way I could tolerate it. Before I knew it, I was on page 192 and still going. Last night, before bed, I finished the book and it was AMAZING. I loved it that much. I could not put the book down. The characters, I felt I could relate to. I felt what Jem was feeling, around that John Reid. The emotions were real feelings that you would experience if you were set in such a time period. Jemima Emerson, the main character of this book, is a fiesty 16-year-old who is forced to be tutored by John Reid, who is nothing but loved by her family in every way. It's fun to watch how her feelings change over time, and what happens. Things become twisted and make life harder for her. Meanwhile, a war is going on, and some of her loved ones are out there fighting. She is concerned but in the meantime, having problems coping with love and family and soldiers. The themes are true and I believe in them. The theme I most agree with is that doing what's right doesn't always make you feel good. This book was great, especially for me, who doesn't always like a "history" book (in a sense). This book was so much more than I thought it would be. A great read, and almost impossible to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Big Fan of Rinaldi
Review: I've always loved Ann Rinadli's books, but found most of them quite depressing. Her "Quilt Trilogy" was a real downer, and "The Secret of Sarah Revere" never seemed to stop making it's characters miserable. Miserable or not, however, there was one strong point that kept me reading - well-developed, interesting characters and plots that equal no other. Nowhere else, truly, have I ever read stories as intriguing and exciting as the novels of Rinaldi. It was this that drew me to this book.

Unlike her other works, this book is actually quite a happy one in places. Although the subject (the Revolution) isn't exatly joyful, Rinaldi writes it so well that you can't help but be interested even when it gets sad. Not sad enough to turn me off, though!

The plot is far from simple: Jem is a teenage girl at the brink of the Revolution, caught up in her family's ideals and aspirations of freedom and independence. Jem's free-spiritedness often gets in the way of her being a true adult, something she longs for even when acting juvenille. (It is this, the flaws Rinaldi gives to her characters, that make it that much more interesting). Although educated and good-looking, Jem's tutor John Reid (a former lover of her silly and shallow older sister) is a constant thorn in her side. Not only is he super-conservative, he's also a Tory - a person loyal to Britain - with strong ties to England and the King. Or so she thinks! Several interesting plot twists make this book fun as well as insightful, and the romances are so down-played and work so well into the story that the book seems more and more like historical fiction of the best kind and less like the common historical teen romance you most often see today.

A keeper!

Rating:
Summary: Time Enough For Drums
Review: I thought this book was excellent! Out of all of Ann Rinaldi's books I have read, this was the best. I love the way she is able to make her characters go through the subtle changes, and before you know it, everything has changed. A definite must-read!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I really enjoy books and things having to do with the American Revolutionary War. My mother got me this book years ago when we went to Valley Forge. I'm now in my 20s and still think this book is great. I most definitely recommend this book. I can't imagine people not enjoying it.

Rating:
Summary: A great historical romance novel
Review: Besides this book, I have also read The Fifth of March, Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons, and The Secret of Sarah Revere by the same author. This is BY FAR the best and happiest of Rinaldi's books! The plot is interesting and keeps you turning the pages. It is about 16-year-old Jemima who hates her 24-year-old tutor, John Reid, mainly because he is a Tory. However, later on in the book she finds out that Mr. Reid is actually a spy for the Patriots. This is when Jemima begins to fall in love with Mr. Reid. However, this isn't even close to the end. Much of the book is about the war; Jem's brothers fighting in the war, and John and his spying. I strongly suggest buying this book, because it is so good!

Rating:
Summary: My FAVORITE book growing up
Review: I cannot count the times I have read this book. In fact, I've read it so many times that I am buying another copy so that my daughter can read it some day (mine is fallying apart). The Revolutionary War has always been one of my favorite historical eras and Time Enough for Drums was the first true historical novel I ever read. Since then, I've read many historical novels about the revolutionary war, but at 28 years old, I still return to Time Enough for Drums for a quick night read.